


sixteen and coming clean for the first time

by wvlfqveen



Series: riverdale hogwarts au [4]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Coming Out, F/F, Homophobia, Slut Shaming, hal cooper is a dickhead sorry folks, how the fuck do you title
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 07:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11054346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wvlfqveen/pseuds/wvlfqveen
Summary: Betty comes out. The results are mixed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HOO BOI HELLO
> 
> so someone requested betty coming out to her parents and i was planning to write a scene like that anyway so here i am. the THING is, this is set after another piece im writing for this series, and shows how archie and jughead got together. they're already together in this so if you read it and you're like wHAT WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN then do not FRET. I'M RUNNING. IM WRITING IT. I PROMISE
> 
> ENJOY XX
> 
> P.S. title taken from green day's coming clean. i rly googled coming out songs for this title. how the fuck do ppl come up with this shit

Supper at the Coopers’ has been a quiet affair ever since Pollie went away, but the silence seems oppressive to Betty now, weighing heavy on her shoulders and making it hard to breathe. She eats her food without tasting it.

It’s been a few days since she came back for the holidays, and this is their first family dinner as her mum had some business to take care of at the newspaper. She keeps sending Betty searching looks, so she must sense that something is going on with her. Her dad keeps eating, oblivious. 

“So,” her mum starts casually, “you haven’t written much this year. How have you been?”

Betty inhales deeply. One confession at a time. “I got into the Quidditch team.”

Her dad stills at that and looks up at her. She’s looking at her mum though, and the play of emotions across her face would be fascinating if she wasn’t so terrified. 

“Oh?,” her mum says. “Did you now?”

“Yes,” Betty confirms. Her fingers clench around her fork. “I’m one of the Chasers. We’ve won all the games we’ve played so far.”

“That’s great, sweetheart,” her dad rushes to say, smiling. It’s a little strained around the corners, but it looks genuine enough. “You like it, yeah?”

“I love it,” Betty says honestly. Her mum purses her lips.

“Well, I wish you had talked to me about it first,” she says, ignoring the exasperated “Alice” her dad sends her way “but I’m glad you’re doing something you love.”

Betty blinks, surprised, and her dad mirrors her expression. Her mum is not looking at either of them though. 

“At least one of my daughters is happy,” she murmurs, looking down at her plate.

All the fight goes out of Betty. She sighs and reaches across the table to touch her hand. “Mum…”

Her mum straightens in her seat, squeezing her hand once before letting go. “It’s fine, Betty. Don’t worry.”

Betty pulls her hand back slowly, anxiety ratcheting up again. “There is something else.”

Both parents look at her expectantly. Her dad frowns when Betty doesn’t continue.

“Merlin, don’t tell me you’re pregnant.”

“DAD!” “Hal!”

He puts his hands up defensively. “I had to check!,” he says. “I don’t think I can handle another one.”

Her mum huffs and looks at Betty. “Go on, then. What is it?”

She glances at her dad before looking at her mum again. She inhales sharply. “I’m gay.”

There is a moment of tense silence in the dining room. Her mum’s expression doesn’t change, and Betty barely has time to ponder on it before her dad reacts.

“Unbelievable!,” her dad explodes, getting up so quickly his chair topples over. Betty jumps in her seat. “My first daughter was a pregnant slut and now she’s stuck in a bloody psychiatric ward and my second daughter is a fucking-”

“Don’t!,” her mum hisses and gets up. Betty can feel her eyes move back and forth between them like she’s watching a tennis match but she can’t bring herself to stop. This supper really is not going as expected. “Don’t you dare!”

“Alice-”

“You daughter is in a psychiatric ward because your insistence on an abortion and your choice to go behind my back with it pushed her further into depression!,” her mum yells furiously. Betty gapes at her. “Your second daughter is gay, yes. It’s not what you expected but that doesn’t mean it’s bad or wrong.”

“So…,” Betty says hesitantly, shrinking back a little when they both turn to her. “You expected it?”

Her mum’s shoulders loosen a bit. She sighs. “Yes, Betty. I did.”

“But how?”

The corner of her mum’s mouth twitches. “You and Kevin are not exactly subtle, darling. I was expecting this talk at some point.”

“She-,” her dad starts. His mouth clamps shut when her mum turns back.

“Silence,” she hisses. “You either sit and listen to your daughter or get out. Come back when you’re ready to a be a civilized member of this family.”

Her parents stare at each other for a moment, then her father turns without a word and goes to their fireplace. He scoops up Floo powder, calls out an address, and then he’s gone, swallowed by green fire.

Her mum stares after him furiously for a moment before she sits back down, heaving a great, heavy sigh. “Well, that’s done then,” she says primly. “Now tell me, honey, what prompted this conversation?”

Embarrassingly, Betty feels tears well up in her eyes. 

“Betty?,” her mum calls, concerned.

“I didn’t expect dad to react like that,” she chokes out, ducking her head. Her mum gets up and drags her chair around the table to sit down beside Betty and hug her. Betty falls into her arms gratefully and a little guiltily. Has she been really this wrong about her own mother?

“Oh Betty,” her mum mutters sympathetically. “People that think like that aren’t worth your tears. We’re wizards for Merlin’s sake,” she sniffs. “We know what it’s like to be looked down upon, hunted and killed for being different. Wizards that think like that are stuck in past values and should all pay a permanent visit to Mungo’s.”

Betty laughs wetly. “I’m sorry, mum.”

“For?”

“I thought you’d react badly. I’ve been blindsided, it seems.”

Her mum’s chest swells with a silent sigh. “Have I ever treated Kevin badly, Betty?”

“No,” Betty admits. “But it’s different when it’s your child.”

“It shouldn’t be,” her mum says. “You’re my daughter, and I love you. We have our disagreements, some of them because of me and my own rigid view of life, but I would do anything for you because I care about you, and I will continue to care about you my entire life.”

Betty pulls back a little to look up at her. Her eyes are a little shiny, but she’s not crying.

“Who are you, and what have you done with my mum?”

Her mum rolls her eyes, but she looks amused. “Cheeky brat,” she admonishes, pinching Betty’s cheek. 

“No really, mum. What changed?”

Her mum looks kind of embarrassed now. “The Blossom girl.”

_ Record scratch. _

“Pardon?”

“Cheryl,” her mum clarifies.

“No, I know who you mean, but  _ what _ ?”

“I went to see your sister a month ago, when she had her last breakdown, and Cheryl was there,” her mum explains. “She’s not allowed to go inside without our permission, so she was just standing outside, harassing Healers with questions about Pollie’s wellbeing. 

“I-I didn’t even know she had leave to go to Mungo’s,” Betty says, shocked beyond belief. She knows now that Cheryl was not as bad as she had previously thought, but this was still more than she would have ever thought her capable of.

“Oh, she didn’t,” her mum says, amusement back in her eyes. “Headmaster Weatherbee came looking for her. I had to smooth things over so her parents wouldn’t be alerted,” she rolls her eyes here, which Betty expected. She almost cries at the first normal reaction of the evening. “And anyway, she and I had a talk where she basically yelled at me for “caring more about others’ opinions than your own bloody family’s feelings”,” she quotes.

“Oh,” Betty says, kind of embarrassed, because that’s exactly what she had told Veronica during their first date, back in October. 

“Yes,” her mum says, oblivious to Betty’s embarrassment. “I was angry before but now I realize she was right.” She looks at Betty regretfully. “I let the nature of my work get in the way of my family and the way I raise my children, and for that Betty, I am very sorry.”

“It’s alright, mum,” Betty reassures her. “This conversation is already going better than I ever expected.”

Her mum smiles sadly. “Anyhow, tell me about the girl you’re seeing.”

Betty jolts. “What?” 

“Oh please,” her mum snorts. “Why else would you be coming out to us now? There is a girl, isn’t there?”

“I-,” Betty stutters for a moment. She sighs. “Yes.”

Her mum raises an eyebrow expectantly. Betty licks her lips and drinks some water to distract herself from her pounding heart. 

“Her name is Veronica Lodge, and I’m in love with her,” she says in a rush. Her mum blinks at her outburst before her face darkens.

“Lodge? As in Hiram Lodge and Hermione Lodge?”

Betty sends her a warning look. They were doing so well. “Yes.”

Her mum purses her lips. “It seems that I have a lot to work on,” she says finally. “Don’t I?” 

“You should meet her before you judge her for her father’s wrongdoings,” Betty suggests, pushing her luck a bit. Her mum stares at her thoughtfully for a moment.

“Alright. Tell her to come for Christmas,” her mum concurs. Betty’s mouth drops open. 

“Really?”

Her mum rolls her eyes. “Am I really that awful? Yes, Betty, tell her to come and stay for as long as she likes. I want to know the girl my daughter is in love with.”

She makes a little  _ oof  _ sound as Betty practically falls into her arms again. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Betty says against her sternum. “Thank you.”

Her mum runs a hand through Betty’s hair. “I love you darling. And don’t worry, I will deal with your dad. We’ll have fun this Christmas.”

Betty pulls back to smile at her mum. She’s already planning exactly what to do with Veronica in Riverdale, and she can’t help but agree. “I love you, mum.”

“I love you, Elizabeth,” her mum returns, smiling. “Go tell your girlfriend the good news.”

Betty’s smile widens before she kisses her mum on the cheek and dashes up to her room. She has a letter to write.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica arrives. Milkshakes get involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS RLY SHORT BUT IT'S GOOD? I THINK?

“Veronica,” her mum says gently, “I can’t let you Floo if you’re going to be sick.”

“I’m not going to be sick,” Veronica reassures her, lying through her teeth. Her stomach is currently trying to escape through her esophagus.

They’re both standing in front of their fireplace, Veronica’s suitcase packed. She is going to stay at the Cooper house for a week and a half, and Betty had told her to bring date outfits.

Veronica is going to  _ die _ .

“Veronica, breathe,” her mum commands, grabbing her by the shoulders. “I have never seen you like this over a girl before. Over anyone, actually.”

“I have never felt this way before,” Veronica reveals, flushing. “And she hasn’t said many nice things about her mum.”

“Well yes, but she reacted well when Betty came out, did she not?”

“She did,” Veronica confirms. “But her dad didn’t.”

“If he gives you trouble I’ll come fetch you right away or kick his arse,” her mum promises. “Whichever you prefer.”

Veronica sighs. “Thanks, mum.”

Hermione Lodge, the tabloids are prone to saying, for all her faults, is beautiful. It’s the only fact Veronica has ever agreed with them on. When she smiles, she looks like a movie star.

Her mum is smiling that movie star smile now, eyes warm. “You really fancy this girl.”

“I do,” Veronica agrees. “I’ll bring her for Easter hols. You should meet her properly.”

“I look forward to it,” her mom says. She gives Veronica a little push at the small of her back. “Let’s go see her now.”

Veronica inhales deeply and steps up to the fireplace, suitcase in tow. She can do this. She can handle a homophobic father and a possibly evil (she is still not convinced of her attitude change) mother for a few weeks. She can. 

For Betty, at least.

* * *

 

She would have fallen face-first into the Coopers’ living room if Betty hadn’t caught her, but as it is, the combined weight of Veronica and her suitcase sends the blonde sprawling onto the carpet. A bit of ash falls around their faces. Veronica coughs.

“Hello to you too,” Betty says, sounding breathless. She has no makeup on and her light blue sweater (so it isn’t a Ravenclaw thing, the blue; it’s a Betty thing) is soft under Veronica. 

Veronica glances around the room before kissing her lightly on the lips. “Hello.” She pushes her suitcase away and rolls off, allowing Betty to sit up. “Sorry for attacking you.”

Betty’s eyes dance. “It’s fine. I’m glad you’re here.”

“Veronica, did you tackle your girlfriend into the ground before I could even say hello?”

The speed at which Betty’s head snaps up is almost comical. She gets on her feet hastily, and Veronica follows (much more calmly). “Oh, hello, Mrs. Lodge. It’s very nice to meet you.” 

 They shake hands. Veronica’s mum smiles, and lets go to dust off her robes. “Likewise, dear. Thank you for inviting my daughter over. She was very excited to get your letter.”

Betty smiles over at her and offers her hand. Veronica grabs it and squeezes. “I was happy to write it. My parents are not here yet, but you could stay for lunch, if you’d like.”

“I do not think that is a very good idea,” her mum says gently. “Some other time perhaps. I’ll just Apparate outside, shall I?”

“Oh, yes, let me show you to the door-"

Her mum waves her off, already walking away. “No need. Enjoy your time together girls. I’ll see you in a week and some, Ronnie.”

“Bye, mum,” Veronica calls out. She waits for the door to shut before reeling Betty in for a harder kiss. Betty makes a terrible, terrible sound in the back of her throat.

“How long are you parents going to be out?,” Veronica asks when they come up for air.

“An hour or so,” Betty pants.

Veronica grins, and grabs her suitcase. “I think it’s time you showed me your bedroom, Miss Cooper.”

* * *

 

“So, Veronica,” Betty’s mum starts after they’ve all had their fill of awkward silence over their tea. Betty’s parents hadn’t arrived in time for dinner so Betty and Veronica had had the house to themselves. It was nice while it lasted. “Betty tells me you’re a Slytherin? How do you like it?"

Veronica sets her cup on the table and crosses her legs. “It’s been interesting. At Beauxbatons we are not separated into Houses so I didn’t really get the excitement at first. I think it suits me, though.”

“I read somewhere that Beauxbatons students take their OWLs in sixth year, is that right?”

“Yes,” Veronica confirms, unsurprised she knows that. “But since I knew I was going to move for sixth year, I took them a year earlier.”

Betty’s mum looks impressed at that, eyebrows raised. “Really? And you managed it?”

Veronica straightens unconsciously. “All Outstanding except one Exceeds Expectations.”

Mrs Cooper’s smile looks a lot less strained. “That’s very impressive. You and my daughter are well-matched.”

Mr. Cooper says nothing. He has barely even looked at Veronica all night. She doesn't really mind; she’s not interested in talking to someone that sees part of her identity as something to be ashamed of. 

“Are you settling in the country well?”

“Papa is British and we have lived here for a few years before, so yes, relatively well. I do miss Paris, but for the most part I like Hogwarts and I’ve made friends so I don’t mind the move as much as I expected to."

“That’s wonderful,” Mrs. Cooper says. “Isn’t it, Hal?”

Mr. Cooper jolts at being called into the conversation. He meets Veronica’s eyes reluctantly. “Yes, wonderful,” he agrees unconvincingly. 

“Well then,” Mrs. Cooper says, getting up. “We’ll clean up here and you girls can do whatever you’d like. I know Betty has been looking forward to showing you Pop’s.”

Veronica manages a real smile. “Yes, she certainly has.”

Mrs. Cooper grins. “Off you go, then. There’s money in your purse, Betty.”

“Oh, mum, you didn’t have to. I had some saved.”

Mrs. Cooper waves her away. “Nonsense. It’s your dad’s anyway.”

Veronica nearly chokes on a laugh. Mr. Cooper’s face twists, but he says nothing. It’s just as well. Veronica is not above hexing him.

She grabs Betty’s hand. “So, girlfriend of mine, how do you feel about milkshakes?”

* * *

 

“Girlfriend of mine,” Jughead wheezes. “Girlfriend  _ of mine _ .”

Veronica stares at him coolly. 

Betty smiles and nudges her straw around her half-empty glass. “I thought it was cute.”

Jughead picks up his burger again, taking a disgustingly huge bite. “Sure, but like, right in front of your dad?”

“That’s exactly why she did it,” Archie says, stealing one of Jughead’s fries.

They had crashed their milkshake date about ten minutes ago, and Veronica would be mad right about now if it wasn’t for the look of utter contentment on Betty’s face. She sighs.

“Thank you, Archibald,” she says. She sips on her own milkshake (strawberry, like Betty’s lip gloss. Yes, Veronica is aware she’s ridiculous, thanks).

Archie groans. “There’s our moment, ruined.”

Betty laughs. “How did  _ your  _ dad react?”

“He wasn’t even surprised,” Jughead says. “Honestly, he just looked at us like “okay, and?”

“I’ve been in love with you for probably a really long time, man,” Archie says with a shrug. “He’s seen it all.”

Jughead shakes his head. “Gay.”

“Bi,” Archie corrects automatically. “Whatever, I’m just happy you and your mom are okay,” he tells Betty, reaching over to grab her hand. Betty beams at him. Veronica sweeps the corner of her mouth with her thumb. 

Betty blinks over at her. “Did I have something?”

Veronica smiles. “No. I just like your smile.”

Betty flushes. Archie coos at her and has to duck under the desk to avoid the fries Betty launches his way.

Veronica can’t help but smile. These holidays might end up not so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos/feedback if you can! Prompt suggestions are always welcomed (not necessary to be set in this universe!!). I can always be reached on twitter @ andrvmaches xoxo gossip girl


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